Literally Die in His Tenderness

Chapter 3

"Then I'll go to her place and look for her. I really hope I don't scare her. Since this involves personal stuff like her address, I won't be streaming it live anymore. Wish me luck, everyone," Troy said with a smile. But there was something in his eyes, something cold and calculated, like he was staring straight at me through the screen, almost as if he was saying, I've found you.

As soon as he finished, he ended the livestream. I froze, a chill crawling up my spine. Without thinking, I quickly turned off my computer, not even bothering to properly close the broadcast. I grabbed my keys and phone, bolting out of my apartment.

In the lobby, I saw both elevators moving. I had no way of knowing which one he was in, but my gut was telling me something was wrong. I checked the building's security footage and saw Troy stepping into the elevator. But he didn't take it. He got out and chose the stairs instead.

I rushed to the 10th floor, but the closer I got, the worse the feeling in my chest grew. Was it just nerves? Or was it something deeper, a warning? I couldn't move, frozen at the top of the stairs, staring down into the darkness. No lights. No sounds. Just the weight of the silence pressing in on me like a suffocating blanket.

Time dragged, stretching every second into what felt like hours. I was terrified, but part of me was also strangely excited, as if I was waiting for something to happen. Maybe I'd really lost my mind. Maybe dying once had messed me up more than I thought, or maybe Troy had messed with me so badly that I was becoming someone else.

Then I heard the footsteps. Slow. Heavy. They didn't trigger the emergency lights. It was as if the world had gone silent just for those steps. Every sound made my heart skip, each step like it was pounding against my chest. I kept telling myself that Troy couldn't have made it up the stairs, that my apartment was on the 18th floor. He had to be taking the elevator, right?

Suddenly, the security door to the stairwell creaked open. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest. I froze, every muscle locked in place, as I stared at the person who walked in.

It was Gordon.

He was just as startled by me as I was by him. Before he could speak, I covered his mouth, yanking him inside my apartment. Once we were in, I collapsed against the doorframe, too shaken to move.

Gordon handed me a glass of water, looking at me with concern. "Miss Lutz, what's wrong with you?"

I gulped down the water, barely able to speak.

"Do you have a security camera outside your door? Can you pull it up for me?"

I finally noticed the camera by the door, pointed right at the hallway. Gordon unlocked his phone and showed me the footage.

A minute ago, right after we'd closed the door, I saw it. A hand pushed open the emergency stairwell door. Troy appeared, holding a bouquet of flowers, glancing around before his eyes locked onto Gordon's door. He had taken the stairs. Why?

I stepped back, pulling Gordon away from the door, my voice barely a whisper. "This can't be happening. Why is he on the stairs?"

He'd entered the elevator. I'd checked the stairs earlier, and there was no one there. So how had he ended up there?

Troy and I had always shared a strange connection. We'd been together long enough for him to know what I wanted before I even said it. He always seemed to pick the perfect gift, something I'd never told him I wanted. Even in the heat of our arguments, he always seemed to know the exact thing to apologize for.

But this? This didn't make sense.